Abstract
Over the past decade and a half, relations between the United States and India have undergone a rapid and significant transformation. Washington and New Delhi have turned aside decades of mutual distrust and forged a strategic partnership that currently enjoys widespread support in both countries. Could this bilateral partnership become one of the defining relationships of the coming era? What caused this unprecedented change, and what might cause it to change again?
External events played a key role. The end of the Cold War cut India loose from its perceived alignment with the Soviet Union and left the United States by default as the only global superpower. A rising China, persistent regional rivalries, a globalizing world economy and terrorist attacks eventually led both countries to reassess their relationships. They drew closer to one another in a strategic minuet to combat terrorism, boost economic ties and help maintain the future balance of power in Asia.
In a short decade, the United States and India concluded a major civilian nuclear cooperation agreement, initiated regular and significant military (especially naval) exercises, began talks on a bilateral investment treaty and launched a series of bilateral dialogues that at last count numbered 31.
